Impact of stigma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Impact of stigma - Essay Example They react in severely distorted manner, not because of their illness but because of the society's reaction towards their illness. The outlook of the patient changes once they witness their discrimination from rest of the individuals in the social circle. Symptomatic treatment could be alleviated by means of numerous measures encompassing medicines, exercises, physiotherapy, recreational means but the stigma linked with the mental illness may continue for complete life span (Corrigan, 2002). If not treated in a psychological manner, the stigma could culminate into a typecasting, disbelieve, terror or dodging behaviour and be able to pessimistically impact tracking down of treatment, job status and earnings, self-image and relations with those in the family and also with the society. Thus their personalities are projected as feeble willed and capricious. These features retreat patients from their close ones. Individuals with mental illness display an abnormal behaviour and distinguish ing socio-economic status. Education and awareness of parents could control the situation of the child to a greater extent. It is observed that in childhood years if appropriate and timely care is given symptoms could be diminished to a greater extent. ... On one hand they are being bothered about their disease and symptoms and on the other hand they are facing the misunderstandings about themselves, prevailing in their social circle. Accumulating these features provide them a feeling of being stripped off from numerous prospects that classify the excellence of life encompassing high-quality jobs, secure shelter, reasonable health care and association with a varied group of people (Corrigan, 2002). Research studies conducted to understand the impact of psychology, reveals that there are two kinds of stigma that a mentally ill patient views; self-stigma and social or public stigma. Public stigma finds its relation with the kind of cultural atmosphere of the individual. In some countries especially in Asian and African countries, stigma is not very imperative while in Islamic societies, stigma does not finds any place. In western world, public stigma is weighed extremely high. In western countries people have a great terror of being excl uded from their communities. The public stigma seizes the authority of the patient, i.e. the patient is thought to be highly irresponsible in all his/ her actions and pursuits. This takes away his individuality as all the decisions are taken by associates about him and the patient is deprived of taking any decision. Moreover, mentally ill individuals behave like a child due to lack of brain development. The brain of such individuals is just like a child that needs tremendous care, in certain cases they are pampered by those associated with the patient, further deteriorating their development (Lai, 2000). It is observed that people with physical disabilities are accepted in the social set-up as normal individual but those suffering with mental illness are not